As the administration has made these bold moves to support transgender Americans' civil rights, an influential trans woman, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, has been working within the White House to give the trans community a voice.

Freedman-Gurspan is an authority on trans rights: she has been heavily involved in working to advocate for transgender civil rights throughout her career. She played a significant role in getting Massachusetts' Transgender Civil Rights Bill passed in 2011 (she was legislative director to the bill's main sponsor, state Rep. Carl Sciortino Jr., at the time).

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Last year, she became the first openly transgender White House official when she took on the role of director of outreach and recruitment for the personnel office.

“Her commitment to bettering the lives of transgender Americans, particularly transgender people of color and those in poverty, reflects the values of this administration,” said senior White House advisor Valerie Jarrett when Freedman-Gurspan, now 28 years old, was appointed to that position.

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Her job now includes being the associate director for public engagement—meaning she will be the main point of contact responsible for coordinating communication between the White House and LGBT groups. She was a policy advisor for an advocacy group, the National Center for Transgender Equality, before moving to the White House.

“Raffi is a great choice,” Mara Kiesling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, told BuzzFeed News. “President Obama has said he wants his administration to look like America, and they have moved to include trans Americans. Raffi’s skills and personality make her the exact right person for this important job.”